The biennial Trade and Sustainable Development Symposium, organised by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and held alongside the WTO ministerial conference for over a decade, is the leading multi-stakeholder platform for intellectual enquiry and dialogue on sustainable development and the global trade and investment system. It acts as an inclusive platform outside of the WTO negotiating setting for sharing ideas, engaging in dialogue, and influencing trade policy negotiations. Drawing in participants from government, business and civil society, the Symposium helps to maintain and elaborate a global vision of sustainable development in trade and investment policymaking.

This book focuses on presenting some of the main themes that are pending in the WTO negotiations, with an emphasis on the views and perspectives of the Southern Cone countries. These countries’ interests and perspectives are influenced by the importance of agriculture in their economies and by the important role they play as the largest net food exporters.

The book is divided in three Parts. The first Part presents the main issues included in the three main Pillars of the Agreement on Agriculture which are still unresolved and that are of special interest for the Southern Cone countries. The second Part presents two themes that, although having been discussed, have not been seriously considered in the WTO deliberations to date – the elimination of export restrictions in food products and the incorporation of environmental disciplines in the WTO agenda. Finally, the third Part presents some conclusions, suggestions, and recommendations.

Senior Programme Manager, Agriculture, International Centre and sustainable Development

Jonathan HEPBURN is the Senior Programme Manager, Agriculture at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development in Geneva. He joined ICTSD in 2006, where he is responsible for the organisation's work on how farm trade policy and rules affect food security, equity... Read More →

Ekaterina Krivonos leads the work of the Trade Team in the Trade and Markets Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy. Her experience is focused on analyzing trade policy issues in relation to agricultural markets and food secur... Read More →

Valeria Piñeiro is an Economist in the Markets, Trade, and Institutions Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute. Her research interests include international trade, development strategies and economic growth, growth linkages and regional dynamics, and source... Read More →

Agustin Tejeda Rodriguez is currently Chief Economist at the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange. As Chief Economist, he is in charge of the departments of Economics, Agricultural Estimates, Technological Prospective and Training. He is also external consultant on agricultural and trade... Read More →